A dream of porclain
by Roulette.Rein
Summary: a story of a girl who is haunted by a past friend, her doll


A Dream of Porcelain 

By: Brooke Whitten

It was a day like any other, rainy. I found it calming listening to the droplets hitting the ground. The rain had eased up since I began my little walk. I smiled as I lowered my hood. It surprised me how dark it was considering it was the middle of the day. I was reminded of the reason as the dark roaring monsters above made it very clear once again. Walking down the gloomy streets, I realized almost all the shops were closed, except for one. _Depot Du Poupee_. I began to think back to my days in my French class. My walk slowed to a stop as I remembered._ Warehouse of Dolls. _Looking to my left, I saw them.

The window was covered with dirt and mist from the rain. Visions of my childhood came back to me as the dolls peered at me through the pane. I hesitated as I placed my hand on the knob of the shop door. The door swung open to my surprise, but it was only a mother and her child. "Oh, pardon me young lady!" said the woman. The little girl smiled at me as her mother hurried out with the doll box in hand. I laughed at myself for being startled by such a simple thing. Shaking the embarrassment from my mind, I took a step inside the shop. The floor creaked and the place smelled like old books, which was odd because I saw none. It was dimly lit and dolls covered the walls. "Good afternoon Ms. How may I help you?" asked a deep voice from the back room. Again, I looked around. "Uh...no I'm just looking, thank you." I said. I shifted my view to the dolls closest to the window.

Footsteps came from the back. The elderly man emerged from the dark and nodded another hello. He was blind in one eye; it was filmed over with the pupil faded. His long wavy grayish hair covered half of his face. He rummaged through the papers on the counter and mumbled a few inaudible words in French. Stacking the papers neatly, he tied the string around them and placed them to the far left of the counter. I could feel his gaze on me. I turned my head slightly only to prove my assumption. "That's a special collection; you must know your dolls," he said with a wide smile. I nodded and turned to the tiny works of porcelain. "Yes, I used to collect them." I said. "Oh, well you would greatly appreciate this one," he said as his bony skeleton like hands reached under the counter.

I raised an eyebrow and cautiously approached the counter as he set an old box on the counter. I slowly lifted the lid. He quickly shut it again causing the dust to fly everywhere. Worried I had done something to offend him, I looked up. "Not here mon Cherie," he said with a blank expression and slid the box towards me. I took a deep breath, trying not to think about how strange this scenario seemed. "How much?" I asked, placing my hand in my bag. "Free," he said calmly. "Really?" I said as I removed my hand from my purse; It seemed there should be a catch. "First time customers get a free doll," he added as the smile returned. "Now, take it and run along," he said and lifted his hand off the box. "Thank you."" I picked up the box and headed on my way.

The box sat on my desk the whole night. Four more sentences were all I needed until my paper was finished. I glanced at the clock; it was already 10:30. I sighed and closed my computer and placed it on the floor next to my bed. I turned off my light, and waited patiently for my sleep to come.

The scene faded into view as my vision blurred into focus. The unfamiliar house swayed and spoke against the rough wind. Dust and cobwebs covered the place. Rodents ran across the floor. I shuddered. As I proceeded up the staircase, the old boards fought against my will to be silent in this place. I raced to the small room at the top of the stairs and felt a bittersweet relief.

Her raven hair against her flawless porcelain face was a sight I had seen before. A small child slowly emerged from the dark shadows in the room. I held my breath as I watched the familiar girl in the white dress walk over to the beautiful doll. I was frightened as both she and the doll turned their heads toward me. The doll had moved! The little girl took a few steps near me with the doll in hand. Suddenly, she became the doll, and the doll became the girl. This was unbelievable. I fell to my knees in amazement. She was the same doll I loved so dearly as a child. She took more steps until she was only feet from me. I heard the crack. A piece of her face had fallen to the floor. Her eyes were hollow as they stared down at me. Lifting my hand near her face, I felt an uneasy fear I couldn't explain. "Go ahead," The doll dared. Her voice instantly sent a chill down my spine. I took a deep breath. I was still hesitant to do as she said; to press my finger tips to the growing crack on her face.

She was colder than I would have ever imagined. More cracks appeared on her face and began their way down her neck and shoulder. The pieces crumbled at my touch and fell to the floor, a few bits landing in my lap. As more fell, more of the rooting corpse was revealed. The look of horror when I saw the decaying flesh beneath the porcelain perfection, was an understatement. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly began her retreat back into the shadows. "Look what you've done..." she said sadly as her decaying corpse was becoming more visible by the second. As her figure disappeared into the dark, a recognizable pair of eyes took her place; one of hazel and one with a faded pupil.

I forced myself awake. My heartbeat was steady, but I awoke in a cold sweat. I was utterly confused. This made no sense at all. I hadn't played with dolls since I was a child? Now, I dream of undead dolls? I glanced at the dusty old box on my desk. I was curious now. I placed my feet on the floor shivering at the cold. I lifted the lid and was amazed once again. Her raven hair against the porcelain face was the same. There was a crack extending from her shoulder to the middle of her face. It was her. The same doll I dreamt of moments ago. She stared up at me from the box with same hollow eyes.


End file.
